January 15, 2014

Final Fantasy Tactics Successor Announced: Unsung Story

It's still only January, and I think this might be the greatest news I'll hear all year. California-based developer Playdek is partnering with Yasumi Matsuno to craft the spiritual successor to his celebrated series of tactical RPGs. Matsuno is the mastermind behind such classics as Final Fantasy Tactics, Final Fantasy XII, Vagrant Story, and Tactics Ogre.

Currently, Unsung Story: Tale of the Guardians is seeking funding on Kickstarter, requiring at least $600,000 by Febrauary 14th. As of now it has already pulled in over $240,000 with ease, so things are looking good. The promise of a follow-up to FFT alone is enough to get many people salivating, myself included.

Details are a tad sparse as the project is still young, but already the tone and setting sound like they are on the right track. As described on the project page:

History is written by winners, and tells the tales of heroes. But where there are winners, there are losers, and wars are not won by heroes alone. Behind the veil of history, there are countless stories that lie forgotten. Reliving these hidden tales is the concept behind the Unsung Story.

Unsung Story: Tale of the Guardians presents an epic sweep of history through the eyes of the ones that make it, but are overlooked by the passing of time. It presents a fundamental twist on the hero’s story, as it immerses gamers through the experiences of those lashed to the great wheel of history!

The page also outlines the gameplay in a general, with classes such as Polearm Knights and War Mages clashing on 3D battlefields. Players will fight on multiple sides of the war, as powerful nobles and rebelling commoners alike, seeing political machinations and social unrest through different viewpoints. Fans of Matsuno's previous work will likely be excited to see some familiar themes here.

Some of the stretch goals will be crucial in attaining a genuine atmosphere we usually ascribe to Matsuno's games. At the $900,000 mark Alexander O. Smith and Joseph Reeder will sign on to help write, which is a real boon as they were largely responsible for the distinctive flair seen in the English script of Matsuno's previous games. At $1,300,000 Hitoshi Sakimoto will compose the soundtrack, which I'm sure fans of FF Tactics, FFXII, and Vagrant Story will agree is imperative in instilling a unifying soul to these worlds.

Antipyretic from Final Fantasy Tactics

Further goals sound enticing as well, including ports to handhelds like Playstation Vita and Nintendo 3DS, additional music and game modes (including a card game and co-op), an orchestral soundtrack, and finally a map creator.